G7: Trump leaves summit prematurely for meeting with Kim Jong

While Singapore has authoritarian leanings, it is still a thriving bastion of capitalism and wealth, and Kim will be performing his high-stakes diplomatic tight-rope walk in front of 3,000 global journalists, including a huge contingent from the ultra-aggressive South Korean press - sometimes referred to by Pyongyang as "reptile media" - two of whom were arrested by Singapore police investigating a report of trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador.

The 65-year-old wants reunification to be his legacy and was elected in part on the promise of taking South Korea in that direction. It's something Donald Trump found irresistible, if only for its drama.

His father was born in North Korea and escaped as a young child and the pair are hopeful the meeting could pave the way for reunification between the two Koreas. "The haters, they say, "Oh, you're giving him a meeting" - gimme a break, OK?"

But his new Secretary of State Is hinting at more. Kim's detailed command of the issues central to his country's nuclear conflict has impressed USA officials who have interacted with him since Trump's diplomacy with the North began.

Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has covered the region for almost 30 years, is not convinced the result will be anywhere near big and bold.

Trump and Kim are due to have the first ever US-North Korea summit in Singapore on Tuesday, with the American leader hoping his counterpart will scrap his nuclear weapons program in return for security guarantees.

"Based on Justin's false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!"

"If I think it won't happen, I'm not going to waste my time", he said.

"When you have a insane uncle in the attic, you're just glad he's not blowing things up".

In terms of Russia, Trump declared, deserves back in the club of nations. In 1962, during Mr. Trump's junior year, the United States and the Soviet Union nearly went to war after the Soviet leader, Nikita S. Khrushchev, shipped missiles to Cuba to be pointed at American territory.

Given North Korea's long history of broken nuclear promises, the former is more likely than the latter.

"I'm glad to say that as of now, it's all systems go", he said. "Trump, who prides himself on his deal-making prowess, said he thinks he will know 'within the first minute" of meeting Kim whether the North Korean leader is serious about the nuclear negotiations. Although then-South Korean President Syngman Rhee, who wanted to fight on until the North was crushed, refused to sign the armistice, it still took effect.

"I think he rather brilliantly manipulated both President Trump and North Korea to start this peace process, and to use the Olympics to engineer that". Even Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, generally averse to publicly criticizing fellow Republican leaders, warned the president last week that "you could get snookered".

But that's jumping ahead.

What is achievable is really anyone's calculated guess. Can you believe that we're talking about the ending of the Korean War?' "But we'll have to see".

On Friday, police said they had arrested two South Korean journalists and were investigating two others for allegedly attempting to break into the North Korean embassy a day earlier.

At the same time, Trump said there was a "good chance" the meeting would not work out and claimed he would know nearly immediately after the start of talks how the situation would progress.

Ruled for seven decades by the Kim family, North Korea has been a murderous dictatorship since its inception.

Outside the luxury St. Regis hotel, just beyond a busy upscale shopping corridor, construction crews hoisted concrete bollards into place around the perimeter of the five-star complex where the North Korean delegation is expected to stay.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on June 9, 2018, during the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.

"We sort of disregarded the controversy around MacArthur", said George White, another classmate. "That's what I do", he added.

"But we have to, I think, remind people there are a couple of hundred thousand people in brutal death camps".

The summit venue, roads and hotels in Singapore will be secured by the Gurkha Contingent of the Singaporean police, according to diplomats familiar with VIP security in the island state. "I really really appreciate it, because we are really cash-strapped", Howard X said as dozens lined up for their turn with him.

North Korea also agreed to discuss missile proliferation issues, but by 1998 it was testing and improving its missile capabilities.